Telephone-locking device.



J. W. HARVEY.

TELEPHONE'LOCKING DEVICE.

- APPLIOATION FILED APR. 1a, 1913.

1,090,053. Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

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gl'wueuto'n JIM/larva} QRHZMeooeo I Pfidilill l lli tl ltlili lietliih JOHN WV. HARVEY, OF SUIISIQ'L, 'IEXAF TELEPHONE LOCKING DE VICE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Intonlzcrl .ltar. 10.1914.

Application filed April 18, 1913. Serial No. 762,037.

To (all vnlmm. it may concern lie it known that I, Jenn IV. llanvnv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sunset, iu't'ho county of Montague and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Tm provementsin 'lelephonc-Locking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in telephone locking devices and has particular application to a device of this nature whereby the receiver hook of a telephone may be locked in inactive position and held in such position so as to prevent unauthorized per sons using the telephone.

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide atelephone lock whereby the receiver hook and consequently the switch controlling the talking circuit will be held down or in an inactive position so as to prevent unauthorized parties manipulating the phone and which may be readily unlocked and thrown out of use by those authorized to use the instrument.

It is also my purpose to provide a telephone lock which will embrace the desired features of simplicity, efficiency, durability and convenience coupled with cheapncss of cost in manufacture and marketing and which may be readily applied to any type of telephone and furthermore, the locking device embodied in the present invention may be readily and conveniently unlocked and thrown out of service when persons ontitled to the use of the phone wish to carry on a conversation over the latter.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts here inaft-er set forth in and falling Within the scope of the claim.

In the accompanying is a view in elevation of a telephone equipped with my present invention, parts being broken away, and Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the locking device removed from the phone.

In the present instance, I have shown my invent-ion as applied to a desk telephone, but I wish it to be understood that my in-- vention is equally applicable to wall -honcs and the like andtis therefore not limited to the particular application herein shown and described.

Referring now to the accompanying draw ing in detail, A designates the base of a desk telephone, While a indicates the stand-- drawing: Figure 1 ard or post uprising from the bas and carrying at the uppcr end thereof the usual transmitter f. The receiver hook is in'lirated at r and 21 usual, in thisv st vlc ol" :clcphonc instrument. extends outwardly from the standard 14 and is [uh-ruined thcrcln and controls the switch of the talking circuit, the receiver propcr being tllctl'atlttl upon the hook and designated at ll.

My improved telephone locking device is indicated as an cntirctv by the h Her I.- and in the present in tance compri ltn]: 1 formed of n sin lc strip ol' mctul bcnl upon itself approximutcly centrally ot its hj neith and having the bent porti n hcrc l 'l' rincd to provide :r loop 2 adapted to cmluxzcc the arm of thc rcccivcr fork or lnmlt, the pural- .lcl members of the strap lu-inn' placed in taco to face contact and are t'nn'nn-d with ulinino; openings 5; adjacent to the free ends thereof. such openings being spaced apart along the length of the strap. A. cult or collar --t emlu'accs the limbs of thc strap and is adapted for sliding movement tln-rtu'm and. when movcd toward the free code of the limbs of thcslrap curries such end-1 toward i'tlt'l'! other so us to producta cl:nnpin;;; action. In the present instance, the l)tt.-it' .t of the telcphcne is formed with u vcrticnllv disposed npcr turn or pas age Ii through which is passed a chain tor oihcr llcviblc element having the lmvcr end thtl'c l clpiimlcd with n cro s piece Tndapted to engt'lge the under surface ol he base so as to prevent tho \vilhdrun'al of thc chain from the pu ssugc in one directirm. tomu tctl tothc free end of the chain is one extremity of a link having the opposite end thereof formed with an upcrtm-o and designed to be inserted hetucen thc'confronting fa es of the limbs of the strap 1, the aperture in the free end of said link registering with the openings in the strap so as to receive a lock fastening device t).

In use, the looped end of tho strap it encircle,' the shank of the r civcr hook or furl; and the t depends therc'lrauu, while the chain s i; pass-ml through the passage .3 in the base, the cross piccc T |')I.t\' IlllH;'.!I the chain from moving npn'urdtv. ll'hen it i (lcr' h'trl to lock the hook down so as to pro-- vent use of the plume by unauthorized pen sons, the coll-a r or cull' t is moved upwardly ulon the strap so that tho free ends of the limbs of the strap may be spread apart. The respective cnd ol i,l;:' liult t? is now inttlfi serted between the limbs of the strap and drawn upwardly therein until the chain is taut, the lock or fastening device 9 being passed thrOugh the alining openings in the limbs of the strap and the respective end of the link 8 thereby locking the receiver hook down the collar or cufi" a being subsequently moved downwardly so as to bring the free ends of the limbs of the strap into contact with the respective end of the link 8. To

7 release the telephone receiver hook, it is only necessary to withdraw the lock or fastena ing device from the openings in the link and strap whereby such link and strap will separate and thereby permit the receiver hook to move upwardly when the receiver is removed therefrom.

From the foregoing description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing,

-While I have herein shown and described a one prefer'redf'orm of my invention by Way of illustration, I wish it to beunderstood that I do not limit or confine myself to the. precise details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of .the claim and without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

A telephone locking deviceformed of a strap formed of a single strip of metal bent upon itself approximately centrally of its length and having the bentportion thereof to provide a loop adapted to embrace the arm of the receiver fork, the parallel members of said strap being placed in' face to face contact and formed with alining openings adjacent to the free ends thereof and spaced apart longitudinally of the strap, a collar embracing the limbs of said strap and adapted for sliding movement thereon to draw the free ends of the strap toward each other, a flexible element passed through an aperture in the base of the telephone and carrying at its lower end a cross piece designed to prevent the withdrawal of such flexible element, a link carried by said flexible element and having the free end thereof apertured and adapted to be disposed between the free extremities of the limbs of said strap, the aperture in the end of said link being capable of interchangeable registration with the apertures in said strap whereby the fiexible element may be drawn taut, and a lock adapted to be passed through the alining apertures in the limbs of said strap and link.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. HARVEY.

Witnesses:

G. A. SHOEMAKER, J. FINN.

' Washington, D. E.

'' topics or this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the 5 Commissioner of Patents, 

